Alliance approves $15,000 for drainage effort in Alcorn

CORINTH – The Alliance will provide the $15,000 seed money needed for the Alcorn County drainage districts to work toward their goals.
The executive committee saw the need to support the project in both quality of life issue and economic development terms, said Alliance President Gary Chandler, who announced the decision at a legislative reception on Thursday.
“For those affected by the floods last spring it was a life-altering situation, for individuals, small businesses and large businesses,” Chandler said, referring to the deadly and destructive storms of May 1-2.
“Fortunately most of the businesses have reopened, which is a real positive thing for our community as we’re going through an economic downtown, but for weeks and months there were people who had to go through cleanup. We’ve recently heard positive news about Kmart’s return soon, which also is real positive for our community.”
The appointed drainage commissioners can now move forward with their first priorities, said spokesman Milton Sandy.
“The next step is for drainage districts to consolidate into a single district for efficiency and to go forward seeking grants,” Sandy said. “Then we need to incorporate everything in the city of Corinth that drains into that unified district, and that’s what the funding will allow us to do.”
Even before any of those actions can proceed, however, insurance needs to be in place for Sandy and the other commissioners.
“The insurance will allow the drainage districts to operate without exposing the drainage commissioners, who are volunteers, to liability and we can begin applying for grants,” Sandy said.
Alcorn County supervisors approved re-establishing three of the county’s numerous historical drainage districts – Bridge Creek, Elam Creek and Phillips Creek – in June, and appointed Sandy, John Warren Henson and William Hull Davis Sr. as the three commissioners.
Since that time the commissioners and others have been exploring ways to prevent a repeat of the May flooding.
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Contact Lena Mitchell at 287-9822 or lena.mitchell@djournal.com